Stefano Gabbana Thanks Melania Trump for Wearing D&G Dress on NYE

Among all of the handwringing about which fashion designers are willing to dress Melania Trump, we'd almost forgotten that some big names are not only willing but grateful to outfit the soon-to-be First Lady.

The industry issue got its latest juice when the future FLOTUS donned a black cocktail dress for New Year's Eve, which she spent at her husband's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. The dress, which has a retail value of $2,995, was by Dolce & Gabbana.

The event is hardly the first time Melania Trump has worn Dolce & Gabbana over the past several months, but it is the first time that such an occasion drew comment from one of Dolce & Gabbana's designers. And far from being horrified to see his clothes associated with a Donald Trump presidency, Stefano Gabbana was actually quite pleased. The line's co-designer posted a photo of Trump in the dress on Instagram, thanking her for donning D&G.

The post immediately launched a firestorm around Gabbana, who in turn got defensive. As noticed by The Telegraph, Gabbana began replying to objecting commenters, telling them, "please you dont buy anymore my fashion please!!! I dont need a ignorant costumer!!!" Gabbana also argued that it was "just 1 dress" and therefore not a definitive political stand.

It's unclear if Gabbana did specifically dress Trump for the occasion or if Trump obtained the gown off-the-rack without his prior knowledge.

Even so, Gabbana's eagerness to see Trump wearing his brand puts him at the far side of one of the fashion industry's biggest divides.

While Sophie Theallet, a designer who has frequently dressed Michelle Obama, has been vocal about the need for designers to disavow dressing Trump, and while designers including Tom Ford, Derek Lam, and Marc Jacobs are all also committing to bypassing the opportunity, not everyone shares either their political alignments or their belief in the political power of fashion.

For his part, Tommy Hilfiger argued that people shouldn't "become political about it," while Calvin Klein, Thom Browne and Diane von Furstenberg are some of the designers who have voiced their willingness to outfit Trump.